Intermediate Wine Course — Spring Semester

Regional Wine Systems, Classical Styles, and Comparative Judgment

The Intermediate Sommelier Program is where blind tasting skill is placed into context, and transformed into regional understanding and comparative judgment

Building on the sensory discipline developed in the Foundation Program, Level Three focuses on the world’s major wine regions, the classical styles they produce, and the cultural, climatic, and historical systems that shape them. Students learn not just what a wine is, but why it exists in its particular form — and how to compare regions and styles with confidence and clarity.

This course is designed for students who already possess blind tasting fluency and are ready to work at the regional and stylistic level.

What This Course Teaches

The Intermediate Program moves beyond varietal recognition and structural analysis to focus on regional logic and comparative judgment.

Students study wine through organizing frameworks such as:

• Mediterranean vs. Continental climate systems
• Maritime vs. continental influences
• Classical regional styles and benchmarks
• Grape selection as a cultural and historical choice
• How geography, tradition, and market forces shape style

Rather than approaching regions as isolated facts, students learn to evaluate them as interconnected systems — understanding how similar grapes behave differently across climates, how traditions evolve, and why certain regions become global reference points.

The Role of Blind Tasting in Level Three

Blind tasting remains central, but its function changes.

In the Intermediate Program, blind tasting is no longer about identification alone. It is used as a tool for regional reasoning, stylistic comparison, and validation of conclusions about origin, climate, and intent.

This course assumes that students can already taste analytically and move efficiently through structure, balance, and typicity. Instruction moves quickly and expects students to apply tasting skills in service of larger comparative arguments.

Assessment and Expectations

Students are evaluated through:

• A final written exam focused on regional systems, styles, and comparative reasoning
• A final blind tasting exam emphasizing classical benchmarks and stylistic accuracy

Assessment emphasizes clarity of thought, accuracy of judgment, and the ability to connect sensory information to regional meaning.

Who This Course Is For

The Intermediate Program is designed for:

• Serious wine students ready to move beyond technique into interpretation
• Professionals seeking regional literacy across major wine markets
• Winemakers and advanced enthusiasts who want cultural and stylistic grounding
• Students preparing for advanced study, teaching, buying, or advisory roles

Completion of the Foundation Program is required, as the Intermediate course assumes blind tasting competence and moves at a faster analytical pace.

Why Most Students Enroll in the Core Program

The Intermediate Program may be taken as a standalone course after completing Foundation. However, most students choose to enroll in the Core Sommelier Program because Levels Two and Three are designed as complementary halves of a single system — and because enrolling together is significantly more cost-effective than registering separately. Students consistently report that the pairing of Levels Two and Three is what makes the education fully click.

Enroll in the Spring Core Program
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Schedule and Format

• Sundays, April 12 to June 7
• 1:30–3:30 pm
• No class on Mother’s Day
• In-person instruction
• Instructor: Alana Zerbe